North Korean Defector Is Ravaged by Parasites

Doctors say he's filled with them, hinting at poor diet and worse health
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 17, 2017 11:46 AM CST
Updated Nov 17, 2017 6:42 PM CST
North Korean Defector's Hidden Problem: Parasites
North Korean soldiers, left, are seen in the truce village of Panmunjom in the DMZ.   (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP)

As if multiple bullet wounds weren't enough, the North Korean soldier who defected across the DMZ on Monday has "an enormous number" of parasites posing a risk to his recovery, according to South Korean doctors. "I've never seen anything like this," surgeon Lee Cook-jong says, per the BBC and Guardian, describing dozens of parasites in the man's intestines, including an 11-inch-long worm already removed. "He has everything that he could have," including "a parasite never seen in Koreans before," Lee tells the Korea Biomedical Review. "They are invading and eating into the wounded areas." For now, the soldier, an army staff sergeant in his mid-20s, is in stable condition following surgery to remove bullets from his shoulder, back, butt, armpit, and knee.

The soldier was fired upon by his former comrades as he tried to defect and was rescued by South Korean forces before being flown to a hospital in Suwon. Though it's not clear if the soldier is talking, officials say his state of health suggests he's a victim of nutrition problems long suspected in the North. The parasites, for instance, may be the result of the use of untreated feces as fertilizer, which can lead to contaminated food. While some parasites are life-threatening, others are less so and generally symptom-less. But "all indicate a poor health status" as they "take nutrients away from your body," a doctor explains. The Guardian notes that "as a soldier with an elite assignment," the defector, who had corn in his stomach, "would at least be as well-nourished as an average North Korean." (More North Korea stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X